Running is a great way to better your health by increasing lung capacity and heart strength. However, all of that training and sweating often times takes place out doors and is building damage to the largest organ of your body, your skin. May is National Skin Cancer Awareness Month and with more than 3.5 million new cases of skin cancer diagnosed and 2.2 million people treated in the U.S. each year, it’s important for the Run Oklahoma community to be aware of prevention and early detection.

Run during hours when the sun is less intense. Generally it is strongest between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. If you train during those hours, find shady places to run.

Put sunscreen on before your running outfit, not at the race site. This will give it time to soak in, and keep you from applying it less thoroughly or forgetting it altogether because of pre-race excitement. Use an SPF 15 or higher sunscreen. Look for stick formulations, sport, or water-resistant versions.

Run in a hat and UV-blocking sunglasses. Polarized lenses help beat the glare.

Always keep sunscreen in your race bag.

Have a friend posted somewhere in the second half of the race to hand you a small, one-use, wipe sunscreen (or keep a small packet in your pocket), so that you can reapply it to your face, neck and arms as you run. You can do that without really breaking stride. Sunscreen starts to lose effectiveness at about the two-hour mark, or even sooner if you are sweating heavily.

Before post-race festivities begin, reapply sunscreen, and give yourself a quick massage in the process to help relax your sore muscles.

Post-race clothes should include a lightweight but long-sleeve T-shirt and sweats. Darker colors offer ideal sun protection. Or opt for special sun-protective clothing.

The Skin Cancer Foundation recommends that everyone practice monthly head-to-toe self examination of their skin, so that they can find any new or changing lesions that might be cancerous or precancerous. Skin cancers found and removed early are almost always curable. Learn about the warnings signs of skin cancer and what to look for during a self examination. If you spot anything suspicious, see a doctor.

Miles Against Melanoma – Race Discount

In September,Miles Against Melanomais hosting a 5K race and will have medical students from Stephenson Cancer Center available at the race to hand out sunscreen samples to all runners. For skin cancer awareness month, Miles Against Melanomahas offered a generous discount to the Run Oklahoma community. You can receive $10 off race registration now through June 1st with discount code RUNOKC. Sign up today and you have plenty of time to train to run your first or fastest 5K in September.

It’s been over a week since more than 25,000 participants toed the starting line, running to remember the 168 people killed in the 1995 Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building bombing. The Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon is truly a memorable event and runners in this event continue to make history such as female marathon winner, Camille Herron. Camille won in 2012, 2014 and crossed the finish line at 2:54:55 this year becoming the race’s only third time champion.

Camille, 33, is a professional athlete who has won 18 marathons. Two weeks prior to the 2015 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon she was named to the U.S. National Team and won the national title for top marathon runners.

But don’t let the intimidating racing record fool you. Camille is an extremely gracious pro athlete. She has a passion for running and wants to see it expand here in Oklahoma as demonstrated by her willingness to allow RunOklahoma.com interview her. She kindly took time out of her busy schedule to answer a few questions about her favorite part of the course and how she celebrated her third victory.

Q: What did it mean, to you, to be able to wind the OKC Memorial Marathon for a third time?
A: I had noticed a few months ago looking at past winners that no one had won the OKC Memorial 3 times. My husband, Conor, has won it twice. To have now won it a 3rd time is making a bit of history! I have plenty of race opportunities that I could pursue around this time (including the 100K US Championship I just did 2 wks before), but I choose to run my “hometown race” because I know how much it means to my friends and family. I want to be an inspiration to them and the greater Oklahoma endurance community. Also, being a native Oklahoman I know how much it means to everyone to continue to “run to remember” the OKC Bombing– I was discovering my talent as a competitive runner 20 yrs ago, so it’s symbolic and coming full circle to still be running competitively and now for a greater cause and purpose.

Q: You mentioned being able to really soak in sites and sounds of the race? Do you have a favorite area/stretch of road on the course?

A: I like running through all the historical neighborhoods– the first 10 miles and then the last 6-8 miles. I’m probably not alone in having a love-hate relationship with Lake Hefner!

Q: How did you celebrate your third win? A fancy dinner or a long nap?
A: A post-race nap and then the annual party at Mark Bravo’s house, although we came a little later than everyone cause of our nap!

Q: Your win came two weeks after a 100K run, what is your plan for recovering?
A: This was my first time running an ultra in the US, so I really didn’t know what to expect bouncing back from the 100K. I took more days off and less running than expected between the two races, mainly because I was sleepy and had the appetite of a 14 year old boy! My muscles weren’t that sore after the 100K. It was mainly metabolic/endocrine fatigue I felt going into OKC Memorial– I didn’t have the “umph” to push myself hard and felt flat. Since OKC Memorial, I took several more days completely off from running, eating like a horse, sleeping a whole bunch, and then did some “vacation running” up in Oregon. Now I’m feeling ready to build back into regular training.

Q: What’s the next big race on your calendar?

A: I haven’t planned any immediate races yet– I actually decided not to do Comrades at the end of May, so it’s opened up a huge window to train and/or do domestic races the next two months. Then, my next major race to build towards will be the World 100K Championship in The Netherlands in September. I’m currently #1 in the World for 100K, so I want to be healthy, rested, and fit for this race. There’s several possibilities to pursue American/World Records next fall from 50K and up, so I’d like to get myself into prime marathon fitness. Finally, I’ll carry the fitness into training for the 2016 Olympic Marathon Trials next February in LA.

I recently purchased the Soleus Pulse Heart Rate Monitor because I was looking for a reliable, entry-level heart rate monitor to use while running to help me improve my training. As a first time heart rate monitor user I was excited for this watch because with the sensor directly in the in the wrist band there would be no need for a chest strap to fuss with or ultimately misplace.

As the product name would suggest, the primary benefit of the watch is to offer heart rate readings on your wrist. Heart rate monitors can be a useful tool to track and trend your fitness by telling you how hard your heart is working. It can also help you avoid making the common mistake of running too fast too often, which puts you at risk for injury and burnout. But beyond the heart rate monitor, the watch boasts many other features such as step counter, 3D accelerometer that can calculate your distance and pace, as well as a timer for interval runs and an easy to manage price point.

Typically the Soleus Pulse retails at $149. However, I purchased this watch from Backcountry because they were having a big sale marking the watch at a 65% discount. The other great thing about ordering from Backcountry during this sale was that they offered two day free shipping with orders over $50.

Pros

It may seem frivolous but everyone enjoys a gift in appealing packaging. Soleus products are no different. The bright yellow and black box and beautiful ‘S’ design make the packaging a fun item to open. I was a little worried about charging the watch. I really didn’t want to add one more device to the crazy pile of wires plugged into my surge protector. However, the charging process for the watch was really very easy. The watch has a USB, prong charger. It ‘s an easy system to use if you have a computer or AC Adaptor handy. I used my Apple AC Adaptor that comes with the iPhone and it worked just fine to allow me to plug in Soleus charger. Pictures don’t seem to do the overall appearance of the watch justice. Once it arrived, I felt like it looked a bit more sturdy and sleek than in pictures. Also I do like the mottos they place on the back of the watches. Each model has a different motto.

Cons

I’ve seen others post about the ineffectiveness of the quick start instructions that come with the watch. I was no different and had to watch YouTube videos to understand the interface and basic functionality of the watch. I also found the watch uncomfortable. I am relatively small is size so the watch felt big and clunky on my wrist. Also in order to the get the heart rate monitor optical sensor to work properly the watch had to be pretty tight on my wrist. The sensor pressed against my wrist was scratchy and uncomfortable.

I took the watch for a test spin on the treadmill so that I could compare the heart rate monitor read out on the watch to that of the treadmill. Unfortunately, the watch was off by about 30 beats per minute the entire time. I wasn’t able to get an accurate reading on the watch the entire 30 minute run. The only time I got reading on the watch close to the treadmill reading was while walking.

I also tested the watch on a stationary bike. The heart rate monitor read on the watch was much more accurate while riding the bike. I attribute this to the lack of arm movement and providing the sensor with greater stability.

Final Opinion

As a data geek, the Soleus Pulse Heart Rate Monitor is just not going to work for me. The inability to get an accurate reading while running was my biggest dislike. However, the price along with the long list of functionalities would make for a good watch for someone that just had a general curiosity of heart rate while engaging in activities such as hiking or biking. I’m going to return the Soleus Pulse and try a different Heart Rate Monitor.

Happy Earth Day! Today marks the 45th anniversary of Earth Day and celebrates the efforts of more than 192 countries in supporting environmental protection. Runners in Oklahoma are no different and we take great pride in maintaining and preserving this beautiful state we love to race across. There are even a few local options that Oklahoma runners can utilize to reduce, reuse, or recycle their running equipment.

Reduce

Reusable water bottles made of recyclable materials such as glass or aluminum are a great way to reduce waste that is produced in not only producing plastic water bottles but in the disposal of them as well.

Reuse

If you have a pair of gently used running shoes that maybe didn’t work out , were the wrong size, or just need an update then Soles4Souls is a great opportunity to share those shoes so someone can get some good use of them. Soles4Souls is a shoe charity that gives “gently used” shoes to those in need. The Soles4Souls team coordinated relief efforts for the Asian tsunami and Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, netting over 1 million pairs donated for these disasters. There are a couple of metro OKC locations that accept donations such as Brighton Collectibles located at 1901 NW Expressway, Nancy Farha’s at 120 North Robinson, and The Lamkin Clinic at 120 North Bryant Avenue in Edmond.

Recycle

Nike’s Reuse-a-Shoe program collects worn-out athletic shoes (any brand, not just Nike) and recycles them (rather than going into landfills) into material used in sports surfaces like basketball courts, tennis courts, athletic fields, running tracks and playgrounds for kids around the world. You can drop your old, worn down shoes at The Nike Factory Store at the Outlet Shoppes on West Reno Avenue.

Beyond shoes, if you have energy bars wrappers such as Clif bars or performance packets such as Gu then Terracycle can help you to recycle them. Terracycle has partnered with different organizations to create a free recycling program and a fundraising opportunity for participants.

On January 27, 2001, ten members of the Oklahoma State University basketball team perished in a plane crash. It was an tragic event that rocked the small university community as well as the entire state. On April 21st 2007, a race was organized for a community to come together and remember those that were lost.

Over the past nine years the event has grown to a field of over 1,200 participants with proceeds benefiting the OSU Counseling and the RT10 Scholarship Program. Remember the Ten Run is one of the few races in this state that openly benefits mental health services and discusses topics such as loss, sadness, and depression. Even though the overlying topics of the event are serious, the event itself is a great celebration of athletics and community.

In addition to the run, the day is filled with the spring football game and Stillwater Arts Festival. So there are plenty of attractions for the entire family. Besides, you can always stop by Eskimo Joe’s for an order of chili-cheese fries and hang with Joe and Buffy.

The race course winds in and out of Oklahoma State University campus, fraternity/sorority row, and surrounding business and houses. The first mile takes you west on Hall of Fame Ave. Because the 10K and 5K runners all start together it’s a big jumbled mess of different paces, walkers and runners. Once you curve on to Western road, it’s a nice down hill stretch. It’s a great point to pick up the pace because the 5K runners are starting to turn off on to their own course and the road opens up on the 10K course with fewer runners. Mile three takes you through a residential area with sporadic spectators comprised of college students, young families, and retirees out supporting the runners. I happily accepted high-fives and cheers from college students and grade schoolers alike. Mile four drops you through some of the fraternity and sorority houses as well as some of the local bars on the strip. As the course turns north on Knoblock Street it passes three of my most favorite things, Chris’ University Spirit Shop (my favorite spot to buy OSU gear), Hideaway Pizza (I could live on ‘za alone), and my boo thang (a.k.a. husband who was nice enough to hang with me and snap some pics).

Miles five and six wind you back out west of campus then east again to pass through campus as you run past the library and Boone Picken Stadium to cross the finish line just south of Gallagher-Iba Arena. The winner of the race was Normanite, Scott Downard with a 5:15 pace finishing in 32:40. That’s the 10K folks. I still can’t wrap my mind around the fact that people run the same routes as me at twice my speed and don’t immediately die afterwards. It’s crazy. I placed 195th overall, 80th out of all women, and 15th in my age group with an average pace of 10:06 and overall time of 1:02:50. Not too shabby for me. I’m chipping away at pace and distance. Just trying to get faster at those longer distances.

Ultimately, the course was flat with lots of great scenery around OSU’s campus. But what made this course stellar was the numerous amount of volunteers. The friendly folks at the registration table, the pace dividers at the starting line, course managers directing runners and traffic, and the oh-so-wonderfull water station volunteers throughout the course made it a safe and enjoyable atmosphere. Also, I didn’t hate the sweet swag that came with the reasonable race entry fee.

It was a great race, for a good cause, on a beautiful Oklahoma spring day. I couldn’t ask for anything more.

If you’re anything like me, you graciously enjoy the 5AM drive to the gym each morning for a little “me time” while the rest of your family sleeps. But hectic schedules filled with work, family, and errands make meal planning difficult. So the hard work put in at the gym is thrown away with less than ideal food you choke down throughout the day out of convenience rather than nutritional value or even taste.

That’s how protein smoothies became my savior. They are easy and help to meet your nutritional needs in only 5 minutes. Better yet, getting the right mix of protein and carbohydrates within 30 minutes of a workout or race can help with and replenish glycogen stores to help shake that tired, zombie feeling.

My favorite smoothie right now is a chocolate, strawberry, banana concoction. I like to think the strawberries are helping with inflammation of my sore muscles, but really I just love chocolate and strawberries together. I find that drinking one of these after my intense workouts prevents me from becoming ravenous a few hours later and regretfully finishing off whatever snacks or junk food I can find.

Recipe:

In a blender, mix the following together until smooth:

1 scoop of protein powder

2 oz almond milk

2 oz chocolate milk (for an extra chocolate flavor, otherwise you can use just almond milk)

1 ripe banana

1/2 cup sliced strawberries

1 cup of ice

In addition to a smoothie like this, it’s important to drink plenty of water after your workout. I personally aim for drinking at least 8 to 16 oz right after my workout.